God of Da Bears, Hear Our Prayer?
This issue of A Public Witness tackles Chicago Bears stadium pastor Rev. Charlie Dates and offers some postgame analysis about what went wrong with his recent prayer controversy.
United Methodists Begin to Reverse Longstanding Anti-LGBTQ Policies
The 667-54 vote, coming during their legislative General Conference, removes some of the scaffolding around the UMC's longstanding bans on LGBTQ-affirming policies regarding ordination, marriage, and funding.
Review: The Exvangelicals
In "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church," Sarah McCammon explores the rising generation of the children of conservative Christianity who are growing up and fleeing the fold.
Why Faith-Based Groups Are Prone to Sexual Abuse and How They Can Get Ahead of It
As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close, there are a few steps experts say every faith group can take to improve safeguarding protocols.
Monster Truck Rally or Holy Spirit Barbie Party? A Missouri Megachurch Offers Both
The Stronger Men’s Conference made headlines after Mark Driscoll was kicked off the stage. But the church’s women’s conference may actually undermine evangelical stereotypes.
Obstacles Remain as Women Seek More Leadership Roles in America’s Black Church
In the Black Church as a whole, male pastors predominate with less than one in 10 Black Protestant congregations led by a woman — even as more Black women are attending seminary.
Christian Nationalist Activists Lead Pro-Israel Rally at Columbia University
The rally was a sign of political evangelicalism’s increasing interest in campus politics writ large and the pro-Palestinian campus protests in particular.
United Methodists Vote to Restructure Worldwide Church Into Four Parts
Regionalization has been framed as an undertaking of decolonization. But the plan is also an acknowledgment that cultural and theological differences are driving Methodists apart, especially regarding sexuality.
‘Chaplains’ for Christian Nationalism
This issue of A Public Witness looks at the problems with recent public school chaplaincy bills by considering what a chaplain really is and what religious freedom actually looks like.
Before Trump Promoted a Bible, President Truman Blessed One
Missing in all the jokes and news reports about the Trump Bible is that this isn’t the first time a presidential stamp of approval was sought for the Good Book.